Obsession (or Adam, Age 39)
by BettyHT
Summary: Adam finds his time and energy pulled in too many directions and can't satisfy anyone. He leaves on a trip but finds trouble, and trouble hits his family at home at the same time.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Looking in the mirror, Lea looked critically at her body. The weight she had gained with Emma persisted. She wondered what Adam thought. He always said she was beautiful and never complained as he ran his hands over her more generous hips and caressed her thighs. She had asked him if he thought she was too heavy, and he had said it only made her breasts larger and her curves fuller. That didn't happen much any more though. Adam used to have a difficult time if he wasn't making love to her nearly every night they were together, and there were quite a few mornings and afternoons trysts as well. But lately he seemed so busy or so exhausted that he didn't make love to her more than once a week. Often it was hurried and not at all like the tender, passionate lovemaking with the husband she adored. Lea spent her days with Abel and Emma, visiting with the other ladies in the family, and doing all those things that needed doing around the house. That morning was no different than so many others. She had awakened early to find Adam already shaving in the dim light of the sun struggling to break through the early morning mist.

"I hope you're doing that for me."

"Sorry. I have a meeting in town this morning to go over some contracts. Then I have a meeting with a client for some designs. I'll grab some breakfast, do my chores, and then it'll be time to leave."

"We don't have time together any more. Abel misses you, and Emma hardly knows you. She acts the same way toward you as she does toward her uncles and her grandfather. She hasn't had time to know you as her father."

"I spent time with Abel last night. I read him a story when I got home and tucked him into bed. I rocked Emma until you were ready to nurse her. I spend time with the children."

"That was a half hour. They want you more. Abel is getting difficult. He says no to almost anything I tell him."

"You just have to be firm with him. He's a bit stubborn, but we both know where that came from. He's a true Cartwright."

"Adam, it's more than that. He seems angry much of the time. He needs some time with his father."

Sighing and blowing out a breath forcefully, Adam thought through all the things he still had to accomplish that week. "All right, I'll take him with me on Saturday. I have some building sites to survey, and he can be along for that. Sunday, we'll all be together for church services, and then perhaps we can have a picnic lunch?"

"That sounds wonderful. Could you take the time to say goodbye to him this morning? Maybe you could even take him along to do chores? He likes to go with you to the stable."

"If he's awake and you can get him dressed in the next ten minutes. I really do need to get going, and if Abel is with me, everything will take longer. I'll skip breakfast if I have to. I'll grab some lunch in town."

Mentally recalculating how much time to allocate for everything, Adam realized there probably wouldn't be time for lunch either. He would have to make do with whatever he could grab when he could grab it. He could tell that he had disappointed Lea again. It seemed he was disappointing her and a lot of people lately. No matter how hard he worked, he couldn't seem to satisfy anyone. Now Lea had reminded him that he was failing as a father too. He wasn't sure anymore if anyone thought he could do anything correctly. He had been fielding a lot of criticism from all quarters. For months now, he had only found peace sleeping beside his wife. It had been the one place where there were no unreasonable demands, no criticism, and no stress. Apparently that was now gone as well. He didn't complain. It wasn't in his nature to complain about every little thing that didn't go the way he wanted. He did know though that he had a lot of tension and stress building up inside, and that he was bound to blow although he was doing his best to keep that temper under control.

Ten minutes later, Lea appeared with a slightly groggy little boy who grinned when he realized his father was there and that he was going to get to go to the stable with him for morning chores. Adam picked Abel up and carried him down the stairs. Lea could hear Abel begin to jabber away now that he had his father's undivided attention. She watched out the bedroom window as Adam and Abel walked to the stable. Adam had Abel up on his shoulders, and the little boy was pointing at all sorts of things and undoubtedly talking incessantly or asking questions at a breakneck pace. She had to smile. This was the picture of family that she had in her head, but lately there had been few instances of it. She thought about what they could do on the picnic on Sunday so that both children got a good dose of fatherly attention. She went to get Emma to nurse her for she knew she would be hungry soon. She knew she should probably begin weaning her for she had already nursed months beyond what Abel had, but she was reluctant to give up that close connection with her daughter. She needed it as much as Emma did and perhaps more.

In the stable, chores took much longer than usual. Abel was old enough to think he could help and wanted to help, but his help often led to more work. He had gotten a scoop of grain for Sport but spilled it on the floor. Adam was perturbed at first.

"Abel, now I have even more work to do." His exasperation translated into raising his voice, which made Abel start to whimper. So Adam had to sit down on a bale of straw and soothe him before he could clean up the mess and get another scoop. He did it with Abel's hand on the scoop so he felt like he was helping. He had Abel hold the bit for Sport as he saddled him so he wouldn't do anything else. "Now Abel, that's an important job. I want you to hold that and give it to me when I ask. Until then, don't let go of it, and stand very straight and tall without moving." Once he finished saddling Sport, he gave Abel a ride up on the saddle as he walked Sport to his house. He knew Lea would not be happy if she saw them, but he simply could no longer even think of ways to try to make everyone happy with what he did. He saw the frown on Lea's face when he brought Abel into the house. He assumed it was because he had let Abel ride on Sport.

"Mama, Papa let me ride Sport. I was way up high."

"Yes, Abel, I saw you. Now you know you can never do that unless Papa is with you?"

"Yes, Mama, I know. Papa said it too."

"Lea, it was only a short ride."

"Adam, I know. I just wanted to remind Abel that he can't do things like that unless you're there. He's four and he can climb almost anything."

"I'm sorry. He wanted to ride so much. He was so happy."

"I'm not criticizing you. I was just reminding him of the rules. He hasn't been too good about following rules lately."

"All right. I'll see you tonight."

As Abel realized that Adam was leaving, and he wasn't going with him, he complained. "No, go with Papa. No stay home. No."

Adam picked Abel up and gave him a quick swat to the backside. Then he sat him on a chair and walked out the door. Abel dropped his head as tears rolled down his cheeks. Lea didn't know what to do. Abel couldn't be allowed to speak that way to his parents, but he was broken hearted at not being able to be with his father. All Lea could hope was that Saturday's trip would improve the relationship between father and son.

Late that afternoon, Lea went upstairs to put Emma down for a nap. She left Abel at the dining table with a cookie and a glass of milk as well as strict instructions not to leave the table. When she got back downstairs, Abel was nowhere in sight and the front door was open. Lea ran out the door calling Abel's name. She saw tracks in the dirt heading to the pine trees between their house and Joe's house. She assumed Abel as heading over there to play with Joey. She saw the tracks disappear into the pine needles and nearly ran to see Alice. When she got there, there was no one home. Alice was somewhere else. Lea ran back to her house and went inside to get a pistol. She went to the front door and fired three shots in the air.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Ben, Hoss, and Candy were meeting together at the main house to go over plans for the cattle roundup, branding, and a drive. They were also planning where to move the remaining cattle as they were working on specific plans for crossbreeding which required them to keep parts of the whole herd in separate pastures. Alice and Katherine were sitting in front of the fireplace working on pieces for a new quilt. When the shots were heard, all three men and Katherine jumped up and headed to Adam's house because it sounded like the shots had come from that direction. Alice stayed because her two children were napping in the guest bedroom downstairs. Ben and the others arrived at Adam's house about the same time that Joe and Griff got there on horseback from where they had been working with the horses. Lea met them at her front door.

"Abel's missing. He left when I went upstairs to put Emma to bed for her nap. I saw his tracks heading to Joe's house, but I lost them in the pine needles. When I got there, he was nowhere in sight. I've called and called for him, but I've gotten no answer." At that point, Lea nearly collapsed with worry. Katherine moved to her side.

"I'll stay with Lea. You can all look for Abel."

Hoss had immediately looked for tracks as soon as he arrived. He began leading the others in the direction Lea had gone. She had remembered Adam telling her once never to step on tracks you were following. Abel's tracks were still clear, and the men lost them in the pine needles just as she had done. They fanned out looking for any trace of Abel and called his name repeatedly. There were no more clues, and they found no other sign of where the little boy might have gone. Griff and Candy went to get more hands to help with the search. By the time Adam arrived home about two hours later, there still was no sign of Abel, and the men had run out of ideas of where to look except the river, and that thought was too awful to contemplate.

"What do you mean, he's lost. How could he be lost? He's only four years old. How far could he get without someone seeing him?" Adam was shocked, and began walking toward the pines where Abel's tracks disappeared.

That's when everyone heard it. There was a giggle and then more as Adam called for Abel. He looked up, and then so did everyone else. There about thirty feet above the ground in the top of a massive pine tree was Abel. He was pointing and giggling at Adam down below. Adam froze. He could see the slight sway of the tree as Abel moved. One careless move, and Abel would fall thirty feet. Even with the pine needles on the ground, he would not survive such a fall and everyone there knew it. Adam moved slowly to the tree calling out to Abel.

"Abel, I'm going to climb the tree too. It's a lot of fun, isn't it? We can wave at everyone when I get up there, all right?"

"Yes, Papa. Fun!"

Very carefully and moving slowly so he would not cause the tree branches to move any more than they were in the wind and with Abel's movement, Adam climbed the tree. Joe grimaced watching him. He hated heights and was glad no one had asked him to make the climb. Adam was heavier but had no fear of heights. Hoss didn't either but it would have been impossible for him to make that climb. All they could do was watch their brother climb ever so slowly up the tree. Ben went inside to tell Lea and to insist she stay in the house.

"It's my son and my husband. If anything happens, I should be there."

Ben surprised Lea with his answer. "Yes, you should. But consider this: if you go out there and startle Abel or cause Adam to lose his concentration, then you could make something happen. It's better if we wait here and say a few prayers that Adam will be successful. We'll know as soon as he gets down."

Lea looked over at Katherine and could see in her eyes that she agreed with Ben. At that point, there was a cry from upstairs as Emma awakened. She would want to be nursed. Katherine offered to go get her, and Lea nodded. Almost a half hour later, Emma was fed, and there was a cheer from outside. Soon Adam walked in the door with a grinning Abel. Adam was not grinning. In fact, his expression was impossible to read. Ben recognized it. Adam was thinking and processing all that had happened. He also had a number of small cuts and abrasions from the climb, and once he handed Abel over to Lea who hugged her son tightly, the cuts on his hands were visible as well. Hop Sing had arrived and pulled Adam into the kitchen to take care of his cuts and scrapes. Adam walked out later and sat on a chair next to Lea and Abel. Katherine was rocking Emma.

"What happened?"

Ben and Katherine were still there. The others had left. Adam still had a difficult time explaining what had happened. He had been shaken by the experience knowing that any mistake could have cost his son his life. He was feeling this was another failure on his part, but realistically, he could not see how he could do things differently. He needed to spend more time with his children and with his wife, but the other members of the family were also asking for his time. He didn't have enough. Now Abel could have died because of his lack of attention. He resolved to find a way to change his life but knew it would take some thought to find a way to do it. Finally he answered Lea.

"In that grove where you lost his trail, it was all so logical. Abel climbed up that big pine there. He was watching us from the top and being highly amused by it all. He has no sense of danger. Even when I climbed up to get him, he was still grinning and talking away. At least it kept his mind off the climb down."

Lea was having a difficult time processing all of that as well. Abel could have been killed, and Adam had risked himself to save his son. She knew that he had done all that he could, but the shock of it was still great and made her say something she would forever regret. "I told you that he hasn't been listening to rules lately. I can't raise him by myself. He was upset that you left again. You leave every day."

Adam stood with his hands on his hips staring at the mantel on the fireplace. Katherine stood and handed Emma to him. When he took his daughter, his expression softened especially when she dropped her head onto his shoulder and wrapped her tiny fingers around the corner of his shirt collar. Ben wanted to say something but knew he shouldn't interfere. He took Katherine's elbow, and they walked out together.

"Ben, I hope they don't get too upset in front of the children."

"Katherine, Adam and Lea both know better than that."

"He doesn't know better than to spend all of his days and nights working. He hardly has any time for his family any more."

"Do you think that's part of the problems there?"

"It's all of the problem there. Adam can't say no. People praise him for what he does and then ask for his help, and he can't deny them."

Hanging his head just a bit, Ben had to agree. He knew he did that with Adam. He often told him how well he did in negotiations just before asking him to take another trip to work out another contract. "Maybe I should offer to take that trip next week to meet with the railroad. Adam agreed to go when I asked him, but perhaps he needs to stay home for a bit."

"That's a very good idea. I'll miss you." Katherine started thinking then. "Or perhaps I could go with you. I already help with the books here, so perhaps I could be of some help with the figures for negotiations? I know that's one of the things that makes you want to send Adam instead of going yourself. You need someone there to check over your work, and Adam is always confident in his calculations."

Inclined to say no at first, Ben considered her line of reasoning. It was sound. He pulled her closer to him and kissed her. "Have I ever told you that you have marvelous ideas?"

"You may have mentioned that a time or two."

Smiling, the couple walked arm-in-arm back to the house. By then, Hop Sing had dinner ready. Hoss and Mo were waiting for them. They had news for Ben and Katherine. "Mo is gonna have twins. We got the word from Doc Martin. Twins, Pa! Can ya believe that? Doc says there's two heartbeats."

There were congratulations all around and then Ben asked why they hadn't waited for the whole family to be together. Hoss explained that they wanted to wait before telling everyone until they were sure there would be no problems. Ben nodded knowing that the risks with twins were higher.

"Now if Adam would just finish up them house plans for us, we could get that house built before the babies get here. He's working on plans for that cantankerous ole Abe Milton. Told me that Abe was nagging him for the plans and then came up with two more projects for Adam to do. Adam figured he could have more time cause he's doing three plans for him now instead of just one, but that puts our plans on hold. I don't like it."

Katherine caught Ben's eye, and he knew exactly what she was thinking. Not only was Lea upset with Adam being gone so much, apparently Hoss had been putting some pressure on him as well. "Adam is very busy, Hoss. I'm sure he'll get to your project as soon as he can. Why, there's plenty of room here even with twins. You can stay here until you get a house built."

"That ain't the issue, Pa. We wanted to have our own house. I been waiting on Adam for months now and still nothing. It's been a mite disappointing."

"Perhaps we're all expecting too much from Adam. He seems not to have time for everything he needs to do."

"I don't know why. He begged off on helping with the drive, and of course, he won't be there every day for the roundup and the branding like the rest of us. How can he be so busy?"

"Hoss, he is. He was supposed to go on that trip next week to meet with the railroad men, so he would have missed the first part of the roundup and branding for that. Katherine and I will be going to that meeting so perhaps Adam can start catching up on the other things he needs to do."

"All right. I hope he does then."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The conversation at Adam's house was abbreviated. Adam still didn't know what to say so he said almost nothing. Lea apologized for what she had said, but Adam thought it was still probably what she was thinking. He told her that they could talk on Sunday evening after dinner with the family, and then they could try to work out a better arrangement for him to spend time with Emma and Abel. Lea was glad that he had accepted her apology without realizing that he didn't believe it was completely sincere. She also was relieved that Adam seemed to accept that he needed to spend more time with his family.

That night, Adam spent the entire evening with his children. He loved to hold little Emma in his arms because she loved to look up at him. If he smiled, she smiled. Emma had a much calmer disposition than Abel. Her personality was beginning to emerge though, and she definitely liked things the way she wanted them. Being held by her father for over an hour as he talked with her and played games by hiding his eyes and making faces had Emma enthralled. When Lea took Emma upstairs, Adam spent another hour playing with Abel. They drew pictures, and piled up blocks to make towers trying to see how creative they could be without having the tower come tumbling down. Then Adam took Abel up to bed, read him a story, and tucked him in. When he came down the stairs, Lea hoped they would have some time together, but Adam knew he needed to work.

"I spent a lot of time with the children. But now I need to work to make up for a lot that I didn't get done today. If I work late tonight and tomorrow night, I'll catch up to what I didn't get done today." Already engrossed in planning what he could do that night and what he would need, Adam never saw the look of profound disappointment that Lea had. It was a sorrow for what she had lost for it seemed that Adam no longer had any interest in her.

When Adam finished working that night, he walked up the stairs weary from working and from worrying. He knew he probably worried too much but there seemed to be so many things he needed to do, and he couldn't find time to do all of them as well as he should. When he undressed and slipped into bed, he hoped to find some comfort with Lea, but as happened often lately, she was on the her side of the bed with her back to him. He touched her shoulder softly, and when he got no response, he laid back staring into the shadows. He needed sleep badly, his head hurt, and yet he could not sleep. He had an ache in his back that he thought must have been the result of climbing. He thought it was rather warm in the house too and kicked off the covers hoping to get more comfortable so he could sleep. Finally he did fall asleep but woke in the morning groggy and grumpy.

After Adam dressed, he went to wake Abel. He needed him to be dressed and ready to go so that he could get the site surveys done. Abel wasn't any happier to be awakened early than Adam had been when he realized the sun was rising and he had to get up. Their mood was brighter once they got working at the chores. Despite the early hour, Abel had a line of chatter and numerous questions. Soon Adam found himself relaxing as he hadn't for many days. His son's unconditional acceptance of him was balm for his hurts. Even though he knew they needed to talk about what had happened the day before, Adam wasn't sure that Abel would understand. He planned to try though as they would be able to relax when they ate lunch, and then they would have some time to talk. They packed a lunch in their kitchen of bread, ham, and apples before heading out in the carriage. After Adam finished the first site survey, he stopped under a large tree where they could have their lunch in the shade. He saved the apples for dessert and for a lesson.

After Adam dropped an apple in the grass, he had a question for Abel. "Is the apple hurt?"

"No, it's still good."

"If I dropped you, would you be hurt?"

"No, I strong like Papa."

Standing, Adam dropped the apple from shoulder height. "Is the apple hurt?" Abel picked up the apple and pointed at the soft spot now on one side of it. "If I dropped you from this high, would you be hurt?" Abel wasn't so sure of what his father wanted or what the message was, so he stood silently and waited for more. Reaching up, Adam swung himself up on the first tree branch. Then he climbed onto the one higher than that. Reaching into his shirt where he had stowed the apple, he pulled it out and dropped it on the ground. The apple split and partially smashed. Adam climbed from the upper branch onto the lower branch and then dropped to the ground. "Now, if you fell from that high, what would happen to you?"

"Owies, bad owies."

"Yes. Did you climb higher than that yesterday?" Abel grinned and pointed up even higher, and then suddenly was dismayed. Adam nodded. Abel understood. "So, why do you think your Mama and I tell you not to climb up high, and to always have one of us with you when you leave the house?"

"I sorry, Papa. I real sorry."

"Yes, I know you are, but you have to try to listen to Mama when she tells you to do something. She's telling you to follow the rules because they are to keep you safe. I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to you and to Emma. You have to promise to follow the rules."

"I promise, Papa."

"Good, now if I have to remind you too often, you know what will happen, don't you?" Putting his hands on his backside, Abel nodded. Adam smiled and picked him up. "When we get home, you need to tell Mama you are sorry for not listening yesterday. Now we have to go work again, but first we get another carriage ride. You can sit up front with me and help me with the horses. Then you can help me just the way you did this morning." Adam had been surprised how much work Abel was capable of doing for him. Adam had pounded in stakes, and Abel had run a marked string from one to another so Adam could get accurate measurements. Then he rolled the string around the bobbin that Adam kept for that purpose. The day seemed very warm, almost hot, so having Abel doing some of the work was very helpful. When they got home, Adam gave Abel a little reminder of what he was supposed to do.

"I sorry, Mama. I don't want to get smashed like the apple."

Lea was mystified by what he meant so Adam had to explain. She smiled then and accepted Abel's apology. Later at dinner, Abel's eyes were drooping and he had trouble not putting his head down on the table as he knelt on his chair to eat. Adam stood and walked to his son's side lifting him up and carrying him to his bed. After undressing him, he laid him in the bed and pulled the covers up. Abel was asleep before Adam left his room. Lea was again curious so Adam explained all that had happened. After dinner, he played with Emma until Lea was finished cleaning up. She stepped from the kitchen to see Adam and Emma on the rug in front of the fireplace building little towers that Emma could knock down. She would giggle softly each time and then make a request. "More?" Lea was sure that both of the children would sleep well that night. Unfortunately Adam didn't as he again stayed up late working after Lea took Emma upstairs to bed and turned in alone again. Adam once again found Lea with her back to him as he slid into the bed hours later. He was so tired though, and his head hurt from all the work he had done so he rolled on his side and fell asleep.

The next morning, the family joined the rest of the Cartwrights in the weekly caravan to church services. As they walked to the church, Ben walked beside Adam.

"You've been so busy lately, that I've decided to rescind my request for you to go to the railroad meeting. I'll go, and Katherine wants to go with me. You can stay home and try to get caught up on everything you're doing."

Adam smiled and nodded. "Thank you. That should help a lot." Adam was distracted then by Emma who was pulling on his tie and loosening it.

Ben noticed that Adam looked very tired. He assumed it was because of all the work, and hoped it wasn't because of any problems he was having in his marriage. Katherine walked up beside Ben then and slid her arm through his. "Did he like the idea?"

"Oh, he looked very relieved, so yes, I guess he did. Do you think he looks rather tired?"

"Yes, and so does Lea. The two of them are together but not together, if you know what I mean. She's not talking with him at all, and you know how the two of them used to be talking with each other all the time. I hope that by staying home, Adam and Lea can talk things over."

After what Katherine had said, Ben was more observant of Lea and Adam and noticed too that there seemed to be a coolness between them that he had not seen before. Adam had told him he was taking his family on a picnic. Ben could only hope that the warm afternoon would thaw the relationship. He was more worried than ever about his oldest son.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

After church services, Joe walked up to Adam. "I haven't seen much of you lately. Griff and I have been doing our best to get the horses ready for the contracts we have, but we could use some help."

"Joe, I was there helping you for two days last week."

"Well, older brother, there are six work days in a week, so that was only a third of the time. We could use more than that if we want to keep doing these profitable deals."

"All right. Pa said he would do the meeting with the railroad this week, and Hoss wants help with the roundup too, so I can spend some time on both if I do my other work at night."

"If that's all you can do, I guess it's got to be enough. I'll see you tomorrow then."

Cringing at that last part, Adam knew he would disappoint one brother on Monday because if he was at home, Hoss would expect him to help with the roundup. He also needed to make a trip to the lumber mill as well as to their mining interests for he hadn't been to either one for over a week. He had the drawings to do for Milton who was expecting them within two weeks. Adam sighed. If he worked every night on the drawings, spent two days with Joe and two with Hoss, he would have a day to go to the mines and from there to the timber camps. Although pleased that he would not be going on the trip to meet with the railroad executives, Lea would not be happy with him, but he couldn't see any other solution at that time, and he still didn't have time to manage the breeding of the Friesians. He didn't want to ask Joe to help with that because he could imagine how that conversation would go.

With all of those things on Adam's mind, the picnic didn't go as well as Lea had hoped. Adam skipped stones across the surface of the lake with Abel, and then the two of them fished for a short time. Adam held Emma for an hour as she napped. But it wasn't the memorable experience that Lea had envisioned. By the time they arrived at the main house to have dinner with the whole family, everyone was tired and Adam was on edge. When Lea encouraged him to eat more, he blew up.

"I don't need anyone telling me what to eat on top of everything else."

Ben was unhappy that the dinner had gotten off to such a poor start. "Adam, that is not a proper way for you to speak to your wife especially with your children present."

In a quiet and controlled voice, Adam responded after standing slowly. "I'm not hungry, and I'm quite full right now of lectures and complaints. I'm going to go get some work done. I'll see all of you tomorrow."

With her head down, Lea didn't even acknowledge Adam leaving. She did her best to distract Abel and Emma. Hoss and Joe helped with that and soon had all of the children smiling with the stories they could tell.

As Adam walked to his house, he wasn't hungry even though he hadn't eaten. The thought of eating anything had made him slightly nauseated. He was just as glad to be away from everyone for a bit. His head hurt and his back ached. He longed for some time to just relax and forget about all that he had to do. He saw a glow in the sky, and for a few moments, he didn't realize what it was. When he did, he forgot his problems and ran back to the house.

"There's a fire up in the northeast section. It doesn't look too big, but it's dry and the fire could spread rapidly."

All the men left then. Ben and Hoss drove wagons with barrels of water in them as soon as they could be filled. Adam and Joe with Candy and Griff led teams of men to the fire. They carried wet burlap, shovels, and rakes. The fire was small and within a few hours, they had created enough firebreaks and had beaten the fire back in other spots. There was only one casualty. Ben had fallen when unloading water from the wagon he had driven and had a sprained or broken ankle. Adam drove him back to the main house where Katherine and the others waited. Katherine and the other ladies came outside almost immediately when Adam drove the wagon into the yard as dawn was breaking. Adam hailed Katherine first.

"Pa hurt his ankle. Could you ask Hop Sing to bring the wheelchair? I won't be able to carry him by myself." Looking at Lea and the other ladies, he reassured them. "I can tell you that no one else has gotten hurt. Laundry may be a challenge as we were all wearing white shirts and our good trousers when we rode out of here." Looking down at his shirt, Adam shrugged. "Or maybe you could just burn them. This doesn't look like it will ever be white again."

"I can hop on the other leg." Ben hated being incapacitated and tried to deny it.

"No, you can't. If it's broken, hopping is going to make it worse and that light splint can't take too much pressure."

" Ben, you will listen to your son. Now wait right there until Hop Sing gets the wheelchair from the attic." Katherine was relieved that the injury probably wasn't too serious and didn't want her husband to do anything that would make it worse.

Hop Sing arrived pushing the wheelchair ahead of him. Adam with Katherine's assistance got Ben into the wheelchair. In the house, Adam was going to put his father in the downstairs guest room but was told that several of the children were sleeping in there.

"Well I can sit until Paul gets here. If someone would help me prop this leg up, it should be fine until Paul takes a look at it. By then, the children should be awake."

Hop Sing was soon there with cool compresses and a big pillow to cushion the leg as well as some tea to soothe his boss. Within an hour, Hoss and Joe walked in as well. Doctor Martin had not yet arrived, but the tea had worked it's magic and Ben was dozing in his chair. Adam had stripped off his sooty clothing and taken a bath at his house before returning to the main house. Seeing their father was doing all right, Joe headed to his house and Hoss to the washroom to do the same. Ben awoke shortly after they left and looked over to where Adam sat on the settee. His son looked exhausted and maybe worse than that.

"Are you sick?"

"I'm fine. It's been a long night. I'm assuming that you won't be going to the railroad meeting."

"Probably not. Let's see what Paul has to say."

When Doctor Martin got there, he declared it a severe sprain and sentenced Ben to inactivity for at least three days. "You have to keep that leg elevated at all times to keep the swelling down. I can wrap it and splint it, but keeping it elevated is going to do the most good. You can soak in a warm bath after tomorrow. That will likely soothe it as well, but no walking, riding, or traveling of any kind for at least three days."

Looking over at Adam, Ben looked chagrined. "I'm sorry."

"I know, Pa. It can't be helped."

"Does anyone know what started that fire?"

"Candy said he and some of the hands heard some gunfire up in that area today. They didn't think much of it because it sounded like hunters, and we don't begrudge the families around here anything they can hunt on our land as long as it isn't cattle. They probably had a campfire and didn't douse it properly." Adam's voice was hoarse and sounded worse as he talked more.

"Are you sure you aren't sick?"

"It was just the smoke. Lots of men sound a bit hoarse around here after fighting that fire. I'm fine."

Ben wasn't so sure. Adam always said he was fine until he collapsed. Ben never knew if he was actually fine or only saying he was. This was one of those times when he suspected Adam was actually ill, but of course, he would never admit it. Then Ben felt even worse about sending him to the railroad meeting. "We could skip the railroad meeting. Our profits are up quite a bit this year with all the new things you boys have been doing. We could let that contract go."

"No, if we let it go, we probably won't have a shot at any of the next ones. Our competitors will snatch them up and renew them closing us out. No, I have to go to that meeting and renew our contracts with them. I'll grab a few hours of sleep and head up to the timber camps. I'll swing by the mines on the way there. Then tomorrow morning, I can leave from the camps. It's only a few more days ride then, and I can be at the meeting on Thursday. Hoss and Joe will have to get by without me this week."

"You didn't say you would be helping them, did you? You have more than enough on your plate without helping with the cattle and the horses. Just the timber and lumber operations is quite a job, and you have the mines and your architectural work as well."

"And the Friesians although I have neglected doing anything with them for over a month now. I need to get to that too."

"Adam, you're becoming obsessed with work. You need to scale back before you kill yourself."

"Now you sound like Lea. Hoss and Joe asked for my help just like you did. I can't say no to them when they need me."

"They would learn to manage without you if you simply said you were too busy. You are too busy so there's no lie there. You need time for yourself and for your family too. I learned that when I was younger. I was so obsessed with building this ranch that I forgot that my greatest treasures were my sons. I did better with Joe. You know exactly what I mean too. I worked too much and played too little, and I expected my family to do the same. We can never get those years back. Don't squander the ones you have now."

Dropping his head against his chest, Adam rubbed his neck before standing. "I'm going home to get some sleep. I have a lot to do this week." Feeling overwhelmed was almost an understatement of how Adam felt. For a man who favored a rational and reasoned existence, being tossed about by events over which he had no control upset him as much as the criticism and the stated disappointment he was getting from members of his family. He felt that his life was out of his control and that he was as helpless as a ship caught in a gale with monstrous waves that could crush it at the whim of the storm. His head was pounding and his throat was very sore. He assumed that he had breathed in too much smoke. The backache and sore muscles he attributed to lack of sleep and hard work. He was hot too and longed for a cooling swim in the lake. Instead, he went back to his house and crawled into bed for a few hours of sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Lea was quite unhappy to learn that Adam in fact would be gone that week. Emma was being extremely fussy, and she was worried about how Abel would respond to Adam being gone again. He had settled down very well with the attention from his father, but that might not last, and she suspected that it was more a certainty than a possibility. However, Adam looked so miserable that she couldn't bear to add to his unhappiness so she remained cheerful as she helped him pack a small bag with his good clothing, and then pack clothes, supplies, and food for the trail. When she went to give him a hug and a kiss, she was surprised at how warm he was.

"You seem very hot. Perhaps you could ask Joe or Hoss to visit the mines and the timber camps so that you can head directly to the meeting?"

"It's just because of fighting the fire last night and not enough sleep. My brothers are just as tired as I am, and they have their own responsibilities. The timber and lumber as well as the mines are my responsibility. I won't stay long at either, and if there's any problem, I'll send someone to let Joe or Hoss know. I can't be late for that meeting. Is that good enough?"

"Adam, love, I wasn't being critical. I'm worried about you."

Adam dropped his head. "I'm sorry. I'm just on edge. Everything seems to be piling up, and I can't get ahead of the workload. It's been frustrating. I'll have to do something about that when I get back home. But I do really need to get going. I have a lot of hard riding to do today and then the next two days."

The hard ride was much more difficult than Adam had imagined. Every time Sport's hooves hit the ground, pain radiated up Adam's back and neck. His skull felt like it was ready to explode by the time he reached the mines. He wondered why he felt so sore for he had only been out fighting that fire for a few hours and he was used to working ten or twelve hours a day. They were working a rich set of veins that wound through the rock like spider veins. Adam went into the mine tunnels with the foreman and inspected the work that had been done most recently. He found the shoring was done well but was concerned about the heat.

"Ted, I want you to concentrate on the upper drifts until winter. It's getting much too hot in those lower ones for the men to be working. In winter, we can bring in ice to cool them down, but right now that would be prohibitively expensive to haul from the peaks down here. There probably wouldn't be enough anyway. I'll be back in a week or so and we can go over plans for some new shafts to ventilate from the lower stopes. Take a look before that and see if you have any recommendations as to where they should go. If any of the men are willing, start a couple more sumps in the new lower drift. I'm concerned with how damp it is in there. If you start to get any steam, stop all work in that drift and close it off. I have to get to the timber camp yet today, and then I'm heading to the railroad meeting so I really need to get going."

"You sure, Adam? It's almost lunchtime, and we're having Irish stew. That Patrick sure knows how to cook."

The thought of stew made Adam's stomach recoil. Ted noticed how pale Adam was then, and that he had done an inordinate amount of sweating during his inspection. "Boss, you feeling all right? You're looking a mite pale."

"I'm fine. We had a little fire to fight last night, and I didn't get much sleep. I'll sleep tonight in the timber camp, and I'm sure I'll feel better tomorrow."

It was nearly dusk when Adam got to the timber camp. He did a quick tour of what was being done and was pleased that all seemed to be fine. He sat at dinner with the foreman and discussed the cutting schedule. Adam had brought along a map of trees to be marked and planned to go out the next morning to get a crew started on that before he began his two day ride to the railroad meeting. If all went well, he would be there Wednesday night and have a chance to get a decent meal and a good night's sleep before having to engage in negotiations to renew their contract. He did find that he wasn't hungry though at the timber camp and only drank coffee as the men ate. He found the smells of the mess hall too unpleasant and almost nauseating so he went to sleep on the cot in the office. The camp was at full employment so there was no bed in the bunkhouse for him to use. The cot was better than sleeping on the ground though, but Adam awoke with an even more stiff neck and back. He pushed himself to do what he had to do before he saddled up Sport for the ride. To him the day was unbearably hot, so he tied his coat to his bedroll before mounting up. The foreman came out to say goodbye.

"Aren't you afraid of catching a chill without your coat?"

"Mac, on a hot day like this, I could hardly find a chill much less catch one." Adam had a small smile but the foreman wasn't mollified.

"You sure you're feeling all right? You look like you could use a bit more sleep and a good meal."

"The last thing I want to do is eat. I'm not hungry at all. Now I need to get going before I use too much of the day talking." With that, Adam wheeled Sport around and headed off down the trail toward the meeting and away from the Ponderosa.

The foreman scratched his head thoughtfully. Adam looked sick and acted sick but said he was fine. There was a chill in the air yet Adam had a sheen of sweat on his face just from the few things he had done that morning. Mac was worried, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. He hoped Adam got to his destination safely, but there wasn't anything he could do about that either. When he went down to town to order the longer crosscut saw and additional felling axes Adam had authorized, he might stop in at the ranch house to mention his concerns to Ben.

At home, Emma had developed a high fever and couldn't be consoled. She whimpered or cried constantly. Ben wanted to drive her to town but was still under doctor's orders not to do any activity. He and Hop Sing volunteered to entertain Abel, and Katherine drove the carriage to town as Lea sat in the back seat doing her best to comfort her daughter. As they neared town, they were surprised by the lack of activity on the road. As they got closer, they were surprised and then dismayed by the sign they saw. "Quarantine!" A deputy sat on a chair by the sign.

"Sorry, folks, but no one goes in or out. We got ourselves an epidemic."

"What kind of epidemic?" Katherine was concerned but not as much as Lea who suddenly wondered if Emma had whatever it was that was afflicting the townspeople.

"Doc Martin says it's influenza. I'm to tell anyone who comes near that they need to watch for fever, being real tired, a bad cough, and feeling sick in the stomach. He says those are the main symptoms. He and the other docs are treating everybody with lots of fluids and rest. Seems to be hitting the older people the hardest. Old Abe Milton died this morning, and he only come down with it yesterday."

Both Lea and Katherine were relieved to know that Emma had only one of those symptoms even though they were still worried about her. Katherine turned the carriage to head home. They would have to rely on Hop Sing to come up with a treatment for Emma. He often had done wonders with sick Cartwrights, so they would put their faith in him once more. Lea had a question for Katherine though.

"Kath, Adam was feeling rather hot to me, he didn't eat because he said he wasn't hungry, and he sounded hoarse. You don't think he might have this influenza, do you?"

Katherine couldn't lie and had been wondering the same thing. "I don't know, Lea. I can only pray he doesn't."

"I knew he was working too hard, and he would make himself sick. Now I'm really scared. What if he's sick and all alone out there?"

"We can hope that Adam will recognize that he needs help if he's sick and go to the nearest town for help. By now, he should be close to his destination. Let's pray he isn't ill, but if he is, that he gets help soon. We'll get someone to go over to Carson to send a telegram to him to find out how he is and to tell him that Emma is sick. I'm sure he'll get back here as soon as he can."

On their return to the ranch, one of the hands was sent to Carson City to send a wire to Adam. Hop Sing immediately got working on his remedy. He had seen Emma rubbing her eyes and her right ear so he had a fair idea of what the problem was. Soon he had a warm bath prepared for her as well as a glass of chamomile tea liberally dosed with honey. As Emma sat in the bath after drinking the tea with her mother's help, Hop Sing came in with a very smelly concoction. He had it in a small bowl.

"Oh, my God, Hop Sing, what is that?"

"Garlic oil. Very good for ear. I put in small drops. Help fix ear."

"You think she has an ear infection?"

Nodding, Hop Sing came closer and with Lea's help was able to put just a few drops of the oil into Emma's ear. Then when Lea lifted Emma from the tub and wrapped her in a large towel, Hop Sing handed her some cloth to wrap around Emma's hands. "So she no touch ears, nose, and eyes." Once Lea had done that, a remarkably calm and compliant Emma relaxed in her arms. Hop Sing then took a very tiny piece of rolled cotton cloth and inserted it into the little girl's ear. "To keep bad stuff out." Lea carried Emma into the main room where a wide-eyed Abel was waiting for her. Ben and Katherine had told him that Emma was sick and that he needed to be very quiet to help her get better. Once Lea sat in the blue chair, Hop Sing was there with a piece of slate he had heated and wrapped in soft cotton cloth. "Hold to ear. Make feel better." When Lea did that for a few minutes, Emma relaxed against Lea's shoulder and closed her eyes. The toddler hadn't slept soundly for two days and was exhausted. "She sleep like that. No lay down."

"I have to hold her while she sleeps?"

"Anybody can hold, but no lay down."

Emma was on the road to recovery apparently although she was lethargic and feverish for another two days. Adam didn't answer the telegram that was sent to him, and everyone wondered why. Katherine mentioned Lea's concerns, and when the timber camp foreman stopped by to tell Ben his worry about Adam, Hoss decided he ought to go find out if Adam was all right.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Sick and having trouble even remembering where he was, Adam followed the road to his destination. It was lucky that he got to the road before his fever escalated or he might have wandered in the wilderness until he collapsed. When he rode into town and stopped at the livery stable, he asked the man there to please take very good care of Sport. He grabbed his saddlebags, rifle, and small valise before heading in the direction of the hotel. The liveryman wondered at his gait as he watched Adam walk away. He appeared to be slightly drunk although he thought the man might be sick instead as he coughed a lot too. Well he had been paid well to watch after the horse not the man so he took Sport's reins and walked him into the stable.

The liveryman wasn't the only one to speculate as to whether he was drunk. Two lazy cowhands saw him too. They had worked together on a number of previous occasions rolling drunks. This one looked like a very good opportunity. The two got up to bracket Adam before he could get to a saloon or hotel. As he neared the hotel where he planned to stay, the two men came together and shoved him into an alley. One slammed a fist into his face knocking him back into the wall of the hotel. Dazed and disoriented, Adam was an easy target. They stripped off his coat, hat, and gunbelt. One gathered that up as the other picked up the valise and saddlebags. With a good kick to Adam's midsection, the two took their bounty and ran off down the alley. They planned to walk behind the buildings until they got near where their horses were tied. Then they would make a clean getaway as they had every time in the past.

Adam stayed in the alley on his back until the sheriff heard him moaning. Taking him to be a man who had too much to drink, he instructed one of the deputies to take him over to the jail to sleep it off.

"Sheriff, he's been hurt. He's got a nasty bruise on his jaw and some blood at the back of his head."

"Probably stumbled and fell. Well take him inside. Doc will want to see him in a bed instead of the jail if he's that bad off. He's gonna pay a fine for this one. Costs us a pretty penny every time we gotta put one of these vagrants in the hotel at county expense."

"Sheriff, he's dressed kinda nice for a drifter. You think he's maybe one of them that's been robbed like that railroad guy the other day?"

A large powerful man, the deputy was able to pull Adam up from the ground. Adam was semiconscious at that point and with the man's help, was able to stagger into the hotel and a room on the first floor. The deputy dropped him on the bed never realizing that Adam was fevered. The doctor noticed immediately when he got there about twenty minutes later. He heard Adam's cough and checked his throat first. Then he walked out to talk to the desk clerk.

"You better send for the sheriff. I think we have a quarantine situation here. Tell the sheriff I need to know who was in direct contact with this man."

"Doc, what is it?"

"I heard there was an influenza outbreak in Virginia City. He's got some of the symptoms. I won't know for sure until he wakes and I can question him, but it certainly looks like it could be that. Now go."

Three days later, Adam woke. By then, news of the influenza had spread. The doctor had hired a woman to care for Adam because no one on the hotel staff would go near his room. Adam opened his eyes and sensed another person near him. He turned his head slightly and saw a woman dozing in a chair next to the bed he occupied. He gradually regained his senses and realized he wasn't wearing anything except the sheet and blanket that covered him. He looked around the room and by the furnishings, surmised that it was a hotel room. Where the room was located and the identity of the woman in the chair were mysteries. Gradually some of his memories began to return. He remembered feeling terribly sick and coughing. Then he remembered that he did in fact reach the town that was his destination and put Sport in the livery stable. He started walking to the hotel, and that's where his memory ended. He didn't feel as hot as he had felt when he got to town but his throat hurt terribly. Then he realized his head hurt too and not just from the headache that seemed to be putting pressure on his eyes. He couldn't take any more but did wish the woman would have awakened and given him some water. He was extremely thirsty. He fell asleep but thought he heard voices in the room. He felt people bathing him with cool water that felt so good. He wanted to tell them that he was so thirsty but couldn't open his eyes or talk. At times, he felt a wet cloth in his mouth and he sucked the cool water out of it. It was never enough, and then he would fall back into the darkness. The next time Adam awoke, he felt some ice cold chips in his mouth. He sucked on them eagerly, and as he opened his eyes, he heard a woman's voice.

"Well, now, it seems my patient is waking up. It's been five days, young man. You had me worried sick. Would you like a glass of cool water?" Adam nodded and was going to rise to take the water and found that he could hardly lift his head much less sit up. "It's all right. You've been very ill and had a nasty bump on the head too. I'll get your head up a little so I can give you this water."

The woman moved to almost sit behind him and wrapped an arm around his back holding his head against her shoulder. Once she had lifted his shoulders off the bed, she quickly slipped one very plump pillow behind him on top of the two thinner pillows already there and then settled him back against it. After placing a towel under his chin, she held the glass to his lips and let him drink. He drank all that she would give him. It didn't quench his thirst but it did soothe his throat quite a bit. He tried to say thank you but found he didn't have a voice.

"It's all right. You've had a hard time of it. You have influenza. Seems you started a bit of an outbreak here in town although most of it is on the Yancy ranch. Apparently two of their hands waylaid you in an alley and took your belongings. We only found that out yesterday. One of them died, and when they were going through his things to send them to his next of kin, they found your wallet and papers. You are Adam Cartwright of the Ponderosa Ranch, aren't you?"

All Adam could do was nod. He did look at the woman with a frown though wondering who she could be.

"Oh, you're probably wondering who I am. My name is Molly Tremper although most folks around here think it should be Temper. Some of them thought they should just dump you on the edge of town when they found out you had the influenza. Doc got me to come take care of you though, and I gave some of those people a piece of my mind. Weren't your fault you got sick. Weren't your fault you got waylaid either. Now there's some telegrams for you down at the desk. I'm gonna go get em and read em to you. You just do your best to stay awake."

As Molly left the room, she encountered a very large man walking into the hallway she had just left. She turned to look at him when he seemed intent on entering the room where Adam was. Protective of her patient, she moved back into the hallway. "Who is it you're looking for, young man?"

"The desk clerk said my brother Adam is in room five. I've come to see why he hasn't been answering none of our messages. Now I find him sitting in a hotel. I'm gonna ask him a few questions."

"No, you are not."

"What? Yes, I am. And who are you to tell me anything anyway?"

"My name is Molly Tremper and Adam is my patient. He's been very ill, and you will not be putting any pressure on him with questions. He can't talk right now anyway so it wouldn't do you any good to be asking him a bunch of silly questions."

"Silly questions! His wife is worried sick same as my whole family. What do you mean that he's your patient?"

"He has influenza. I daresay the first night I sat with him I didn't think he'd make it to morning. He coughed so much he hurt his ribs. He had a head injury, and a terrible fever. Somehow he managed to pull through, but he's very weak. Now, if you're ready to see him, I'll let you in the room, but remember that he can't talk. His throat is still too sore. You may ask questions if he can answer with a shake or a nod. All right?"

As Hoss walked in the room behind Molly, he noted all the signs that this was indeed a sick room. He saw a brass urinal, a stack of towels, a few nurse's bottles, and a few brown bottles of some medicines he couldn't identify. He looked at his brother who was quite pale, had a bandage wrapped around his head, and was sleeping as his head and shoulders were resting on a stack of three pillows. Molly looked at Adam and smiled gently.

"I told him to try to stay awake. I guess it was just too much for him. "I'm going to go get a cup of broth for him. He should wake again soon, and he hasn't had anything to eat for five days."

"Nothin?"

"All we were able to get into him was water, and sometimes that was extremely difficult. He never knew what was going on, it seemed. He woke once and seemed like he was in his right mind but then he fell back into being senseless for two more days. This last time though, he seemed more alert and aware than that other time. I think he beat that influenza and now he just needs to get his strength back."

"What happened to his head?"

"Two of our local cowhands waylaid him and took his things. We only found that out yesterday. That was the first we knew your brother's name. He has some telegrams at the desk, but I'm guessing you can tell him what's in those, but please nothing to upset him. He's got enough on his plate right now."

"Yes, ma'am. I only got good news for him. Could you have them send a telegram for me? I want my family to know I found him, and he's gonna be all right."

"I'll send the clerk in when I go to the kitchen to get some broth made. Matt is a very reliable young man, and he'll do what you ask him to do."

With Matt's help, Hoss sent the telegram and the family had the news by the morning of the next day.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Now, Adam, don't look so worried. By the time I left, Emma was getting back to being herself. She had an ear infection, and Hop Sing done did all those things he does, and she got better. We were scared a bit when we thought she had the influenza, but Hop Sing said it was an ear infection, and the things he did cleared it up."

With that news, Adam looked very relieved, but he still struggled to say anything. In a very hoarse whisper he asked about the influenza epidemic in Virginia City that Hoss had mentioned earlier.

"It was over in a real short time. Seems it mainly hit older people. With the quarantine and such, only a small number of people got sick. Abe Milton died, and when I left, the news was that a few others probably wouldn't make it. I can't see why you got so sick. Most younger people who got it only got sick a little."

"Because he was exhausted and then injured." The doctor came into the room to see to his patient. "Molly says that you're doing fine, and that you are able to drink water without a problem now. Got your voice back yet?" Adam shook his head. "It's probably as much from the coughing you did as from the influenza itself. Keep taking the medication that I left with Molly, and maybe your brother could get you some lemon drops from the store. Those seem to help soothe a sore throat. Have you eaten anything?"

Hoss answered because that was the type of question Adam couldn't answer without a great deal of discomfort. "Molly brought him some broth, and he did real well with that so she's gone to get something more solid. She was thinking maybe some beef gravy on potatoes would be good."

"I think bread and preserves might be better. I don't want him eating any hot foods yet. I'm assuming she cooled the broth before giving it to him?"

Adam coughed lightly to get their attention. He frowned as if to say he was right there, and they could include him in the conversation.

"I'm sorry, Adam. For the past five days, you weren't able to communicate. I guess I just got used to talking to Molly and now I shifted over to your brother. Now, did the broth hurt your throat?" Adam shook his head. "Did it make it feel better?" Adam nodded. "Well, then it probably is mostly irritation from the coughing you did. I'll let Molly decide what you should be eating. She's quite a good nurse although a little outspoken. She was the only one who would help you so you probably owe your life to her."

Hoss was surprised. "What about you, Doc?"

"I was busy with a man who was here for the railroad meeting. He was robbed just like Adam here, but he has more serious injuries. He's right across the hall, but I thought I might lose him too. He wants to get back to work, but he's confined to bed for a couple more days at least. He's not happy about it because he was supposed to have a big meeting last Thursday. It was cancelled and all the other men left town. Now all he does is complain about how he has no contracts for delivery of timbers."

As the doctor talked, Adam's countenance grew progressively more positive, and suddenly, Hoss knew why. "Doc, do you suppose he could come over here for a visit? He and Adam know each other. Adam was supposed to be at that meeting too."

"Certainly. It would probably stop his incessant complaining. I'll bring a wheelchair from my office tomorrow morning, and the three of you can visit for an hour. In the afternoon, you could have another visit. I'll tell Molly what's going on. She can help me with him as well as continue to help with Adam."

"I can help with Adam, too."

"Good, because he could really use a bath, and that's too much for Molly to attempt. I'll tell the desk clerk to set up a tub in here. After Adam has something to eat, I'll have Molly go sit with Mister Davis, and you can help your brother take a bath. Be very careful washing his hair. You can take the bandage off, but if the cut starts bleeding again, call Molly. It's stitched but not healed, and she can put a new one on."

The bath turned out to be more difficult than Hoss imagined. Adam wanted to fall asleep in the warm water. Hoss had to talk rather loudly to him to get him to keep his eyes open. After the bath, Hoss had to help Adam into bed where he promptly fell asleep again. Hoss wanted very much to talk with Adam but knew it would have to wait until he gained back some strength. The next morning, Adam was quite a bit better. Having some food had revived him a bit. He had an extremely hoarse almost gravely voice unless he tried to talk too much. That started him coughing and then he had no voice at all again.

"Now you just save that voice for what's really important. You can point or nod or shake your head for most things. When you really have to talk, get our attention first so you don't have to talk as loudly. Is that clear?"

Hoss started to chuckle at Adam's frown and acceptance with a nod to Molly's statement and query. "It's just like having a ma again, ain't it, Adam?" Then he laughed more with Adam's scowl. "You must be feeling a whole lot better if you can get mad at me." Then Hoss got very serious. "Doc said you was exhausted. Pa said the same thing and so did Lea and Katherine. I'm sorry I didn't notice. I was just feeling pressured to do a good job with the cattle and all, and I wanted you with me. I ain't used to working on my own. I've always had one of my brothers by my side with everything I did. Most often it was you. I missed you something fierce when you was gone, and it made me really happy when you came home again even if you was in bad shape that time. I shouldn't have put so much pressure on you. It wasn't fair."

Without a voice, Adam reached out with his hand and Hoss grasped it. They sat quietly like that for a moment until Molly interrupted. "Now, Hoss, why don't you tell me about the ma you lost?"

"Well, I reckon, we lost three although I wasn't around for the first one." Hoss proceeded to tell the story of their father and his first three wives. He explained that there was another brother.  
"Yep, all married now except Pa never thought it was gonna happen, I guess. Adam has two younguns, Joe has two, and I've got one, although I got two more on the way." Both Adam and Molly looked surprised. Hoss grinned. "Yep, Doc says Mo and me are gonna have twins."

"What are the names of all the children?"

"Well, Adam's oldest is Abel. He's gonna be four soon. His daughter is Emma. My little girl is Dot. Well, her name is Dorothy, but everyone calls her Dottie, 'cept me that is, cause I call her Dot. Joe's boy is Joey, and his daughter is Gabi, short for Gabrielle. Oh, I didn't say that my Pa married again. Her name's Katherine, and they was gonna get married years ago, but there was some family problems that came between em. Anyway they got back together and got married."

"Is your father planning on having any more children?"

Hoss was dumbfounded for he had never considered the possibility that Katherine could have a baby. He looked over at Adam who had his eyes closed but had a faint grin. He was going to ask him if he thought Katherine could have a baby when Molly put her hand on Hoss' arm and shook her head. Then she mimed someone sleeping so Hoss would know it was best to let Adam sleep. Soon the patient was breathing regularly and his mouth dropped slightly open. Molly pointed across the hall to indicate she was going to see how the other patient was doing. Hoss smiled and leaned back in his chair as he watched his brother sleep peacefully. His first question when Adam woke about an hour later was whether Katherine was likely to have a baby. Adam smiled and shook his head. Molly came in a short time later to see if Adam was awake. She said she would bring the railroad man in to visit as soon as she could get him in the wheelchair. True to her word, in about fifteen minutes, there was a light knock on the door. Hoss answered to allow Molly to wheel the man into Adam's room. As soon as any necessary introductions were made, the two men got right down to business.

"Well, Adam, how fortuitous to have you sick here where I have been hurt. I do not wish to go back to the offices empty-handed. I thought perhaps we could work out an agreement, so that I have something to offer my employers."

Ready with a stack of paper and a pencil, Adam wrote down what he wanted Hoss to say. There was a considerable delay in responding to the man's overtures as Adam wrote furiously each time.

"The Ponderosa is ready to renew our contract with the railroad if you would remove all penalty clauses and deadlines."

"Now, Adam, you know I can't agree to that. That is a preposterous first offer. We would be willing to renew our contract with you, but to double the penalties for failure to deliver the requested amount at the stipulated time."

"You have no contracts right now, and you need them. If you don't renew the Ponderosa contract, you'll be short of timbers within the month. The other suppliers will have you over a barrel and you'll have to pay more than you're paying us. However, if you drop the penalties and deadlines, the Ponderosa will supply you with all the timbers we can as fast as we can until you tell us you have enough. That ought to be a wonderful bargaining chip for you to use with the other suppliers. You can give them a lower price, any deadlines you want, as well as any penalties you choose to impose for failure to meet the provisions of the contracts."

"Apparently the blow to the head and the influenza did nothing to soften those sharp edges you have. Very well. You make a number of excellent points. As soon as we can get a lawyer here to draft the agreement and duplicate it, I'll sign."

"No need for a lawyer. I have our previous contract. I'll make two copies without the penalty and deadline provisions. Then we can both sign, and you can send a copy to your employers with the explanation you want to give them."

"You are a ruthless pirate, and you must make your father very proud."

Hoss answered before Adam could write anything. "He makes all of us very proud."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The next problem for Hoss and Adam was how they were going to get home. Riding all day on horseback was out of the question for Adam. He was still too weak, and his head injury had left him temporarily with poor balance and frequent headaches. The stage was out of the question for the same reasons. Matt Davis had a suggestion.

"I need help to travel. I can't walk on this leg at all. Now if you would help me travel, we could take my carriage to Sacramento. I have a private car there which you could use to go home. In fact, I think I might like to come with you and see the operation you have on the Ponderosa, and I could set up a meeting with the other suppliers while I was there."

Concerned about Chubb and Sport, Hoss had to ask. "Could we ship our horses on the same train as we'll be using, or do I have to take them back home by myself?"

"By all means, they can ride in a cattle car. We'll take good care of your horses. After all, you have given me the means to wrest some good contracts from the other suppliers and satisfy my employer quite well."

Molly wasn't at all tolerant of their plans to travel so soon. "What if something goes wrong? Both of you need medical attention yet, and how are you going to get it traveling willy nilly about the countryside? The doctor said that both of you needed several more days in bed to recuperate."

As Matt tried to mollify Molly, Adam grabbed Hoss' arm and pulled him close to whisper to him. Soon Hoss was smiling and nodding. Adam asked if he would please ask Molly.

"Well, now, Molly, my brother Adam is a right smart feller. He has a question or two for ya. Would you travel with us? That way ifn they needed some care, you'd be right there."

With that smile Adam had, Molly knew there was more. "Well, and what would I do when I got to Virginia City? How would I be traveling back here?"

"Well, you see, that's the beauty of it. You could work in Virginia City."

"And just what kind of work would you think I could be doing there?"

"We're kind of hoping you would agree to be a nanny to the Cartwright children. There's already five of em, and two more on the way. That could keep you right busy helping out in three houses, and if that isn't to your liking, well Doc Martin needs a nurse too, so what do you think?"

"A nanny?" Molly had never married and never had children although she loved to work with children. The idea of being a nanny had never entered her mind until that moment when Hoss said it, but it had an appeal she couldn't deny. "And how much would I be paid for such a job?"

"We were thinking forty dollars a month with room and board and a clothing allowance would be a good start."

"Room and board in town?"

"No, on the Ponderosa. We got three houses there already with a fourth one as soon as Adam finishes the plans for it. You would live in the main house. We got some guest bedrooms there. Ifn you didn't like that, Adam has a guest room in his house too."

"Why not in town?"

"Ma'am, town is too far away. You'd spend half your time traveling, and in winter, you wouldn't likely get through. Nah, best if you agree to live on the ranch."

So Molly agreed, and the next day, the group headed toward Sacramento and the railroad. The sheriff was pleased to find that both men paid for their rooms and medical care. He was also happy that his deputy had survived a bout of the influenza, and that no more cases were being reported. The two cowboys who had been robbing drunks were unmasked so to speak although one had died as a result of robbing Adam. The other was in jail awaiting sentencing. All in all, it had been a nice visit by the two men. Hoss helped Adam out to the carriage, and then helped Matt move from the wheelchair into the carriage. Once the two invalids were settled in, Hoss offered Molly a hand up to the front seat. He packed the wheelchair into the back with the provisions for their travel. Finally, he tied Sport and Chubb to the back with lead ropes before climbing up onto the front seat next to Molly.

"Well, Adam still can't talk much so we won't have to listen to him quoting that Shakespeare stuff while we travel." Hoss had turned in the seat to grin at Adam, but Adam's scowl turned into a grin at Molly's next statement.

"Oh, I love Shakespeare. My folks didn't have many books, but my dear father treasured his Shakespeare. I read those plays over and over again. I would love to see some of them performed sometime." Molly then proceeded to quote a few of her favorite lines.

Scowling, Hoss looked back at Adam. "Did you know that?"

All Adam could do was grin. He hadn't known but was delighted to find that out and even more pleased to have Molly tormenting Hoss with Shakespeare. With Molly talking and the rocking of the carriage, Adam was soon asleep. Matt had been given a small dose of laudanum to help him control the pain in his leg as he traveled so he too was soon sleeping. That left only Hoss to endure Molly's recitation of famous speeches written for some of Shakespeare's most famous characters. They stopped for lunch and to take care of their needs but reached the next town by early evening as planned. Molly rewrapped Adam's ribs that were quite sore from being kicked as well as from all the coughing he had done. Then she put clean bandages on Matt's leg but was concerned about the drainage from his injury.

"When we get to Sacramento, you may not be able to travel. Your leg needs more care than a traveling nurse can provide."

"There must be a doctor here. We'll get him to take a look at it to see what can be done."

In the morning, the doctor opened the stitches and cleaned the wound before bandaging it again and prescribing rest. He wasn't in favor of travel, but with some instructions to Molly, did accept that Matt could travel especially as they should be in Sacramento by that evening. The second day of travel proceeded as well as the first and they were in Sacramento that evening. Matt directed Hoss to drive to the railroad depot where his private car waited on a spur. Hoss and Molly went shopping to get some fresh food for the trip as the workers at the depot made sure that there was water and coal for the stove aboard the car. Matt and Adam slept in the bunks in the car, and Hoss and Molly got rooms at the hotel. The next morning, the car was attached to the first eastbound train and they were on their way. With a stop in Reno to switch the car to a train to Virginia City, they headed home. Hoss sent a telegram letting the family know when they would arrive. As the private car pulled into Virginia City on the new line, Hoss saw his father and Lea waiting on the platform. He waved and smiled doing his best to reassure them that all was well.

"Where's Adam?" Ben's question mirrored Lea's worried look as Hoss opened the door on the back of the car to admit them.

"He was sleeping. He sleeps a lot, but the doctor said he's going to be fine. Molly's in putting a new wrap around his ribs so he can get dressed."

"Molly?" Now Lea's query mirrored Ben's concern.

"She's Adam's nurse."

"He needed a nurse to travel?"

"No, not really, but it sure was nice to have her along. She took care of him when he had the influenza. Adam hired her to be a nanny to the children on the Ponderosa. She ain't never been married and ain't never had no children of her own, but she shur is looking forward to helping out with ours."

Hoss' comments led both Lea and Ben to surmise that Molly was a young woman, so they were especially surprised when the door to the sleeping berth opened and a matronly middle aged woman stepped out and told Lea to go help her husband. As soon as Lea stepped through the door, Molly pulled it closed and smiled at Ben.

"You must be the boys' father. You look just like they described you. You can relax that frown. Adam is going to be just fine. He needs a lot of rest, and for the next few weeks, he shouldn't be doing much work. I'll be there to help out so it shouldn't be too much of a problem."

Hoss said then what was unnecessary but he thought it best to formally introduce Molly to his father. Then he introduced Ben to Matt Davis.

"I'm sorry Adam wasn't able to be at that meeting on Thursday. If you have any need of Ponderosa timber, you can always contact us though."

Matt was a bit surprised until he realized that Ben didn't know yet about the contract Adam had signed for the Ponderosa. Hoss retrieved it from Adam's valise and handed it to Ben who wondered what Hoss wanted him to read. He scanned the contract and then looked up in amazement because the penalties and deadline requirements had been removed.

"How did Adam get this done?"

"I was robbed and injured and had to cancel that meeting on Thursday. The other men left after I told them I would reschedule the meeting as soon as the company could send a replacement or I was well enough to do the work. Adam was there however and we talked. Now I'll have a meeting here in town with the others. Your son is a formidable negotiator. He can come work with me any time he wants."

"My son has more than enough to keep him busy here. Could I buy you lunch? It seems my son and his wife are taking more than a few minutes to catch up on things."

"I would be delighted, but please allow me to buy lunch because I want to express my thanks to your son Hoss and this wonderful lady for all the help they gave me. I do need Hoss to help me down the steps and back into this chair first if he wouldn't mind."

It took about ten minutes to accomplish that, and then the quartet headed to the restaurant. They met Barney Fuller on the way, and he was happy to see Matt in town until he learned that Adam had secured a contract already. Matt assured him that they could talk the next day, but first he had to buy dinner for his new friends. Barney's face registered his dismay as he watched the four head off to lunch. He worried about what Adam had agreed to do, but he had no way of knowing unless he could convince Ben to tell him what was in his deal. That wasn't likely to happen though.

In the private car, Lea and Adam had hugged and kissed. Adam only had on drawers and had been sitting on the bed when Lea entered. She had rushed into his arms kissing him with passion as all the worry and fear was released. After the others left the car, Lea stood and began unbuttoning her dress.

"Sweetheart, what are you doing?"

"We heard them. They won't be back for at least an hour."

"I'm sorry, even though I want you so much, I don't know if I have the strength to do it."

"That's all you need: just to want me. I'll do all the work." Taking a look at her husband, Lea let her eyes drift down from his face. "Doesn't look like I'll have much work to do anyway." Then she mimicked how Adam arched his eyebrows as she gave the most lecherous grin she could. As her dress fell to the floor, a grinning Adam put out his arms to her.

"Well, then, I would never keep my lady from her work."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

By the time that Ben, Hoss, and Molly got back from their early lunch, Adam and Lea were already in the carriage. Ben worried that something had gone wrong, but both had a flush to their cheeks and were smiling. Lea had her arm wrapped through Adam's and they were talking quietly. Ben visibly relaxed seeing them so comfortable with each other. Molly noticed Ben's reaction and looked to Hoss who shook his head and mouthed that he would talk to her later. Then Hoss went to get Chubb and Sport who had been unloaded. He saddled up both horses. Still suffering from some dizziness from the head injury and weak from the influenza, Adam wasn't going to be riding, but Sport needed to carry the saddle home.

As Ben drove the carriage to the Ponderosa, he began pointing out landmarks to Molly as well as talking a great deal about his grandchildren. He rather liked the idea of a nanny to help out the three families. Sometimes when the adults wanted to do something, someone had to stay behind to watch the children or Hop Sing would be drafted as a babysitter. He was never happy about that. This would resolve a lot of time issues with the family as well. He was smiling although he could tell that Lea had some reservations about the idea. However, Molly had agreed to stay in a guest room at the main house so there would be no problem, he hoped.

Concerned about her patient, Molly looked back as they drove and saw Adam asleep on Lea's shoulder. Lea had Adam's hand in hers and her cheek rested against the top of his head. Molly smiled seeing them so obviously comfortable with each other. She wondered at Ben's look of concern earlier and then remembered the conversation in which Hoss had apologized to his brother for asking him to do too much. He had said at the time that Ben, Katherine, and Lea knew how exhausted Adam was. She thought perhaps that was the reason for the concern because it appeared that Adam and his wife were very much in love. She knew by the way Hoss talked about his wife and Ben about his that those marriages also were solid. She hoped the youngest son's marriage was as strong because then her job would be so much easier. Children from loving families in which the parents had a strong relationship were seldom much trouble misbehaving out of curiosity and exuberance rather than any willful disobedience. Molly had never had any children, but she had cared for enough of them to know how important being in a good family was for the character of each child.

As they neared the Ponderosa, Lea woke Adam so that he could be wide awake when he saw his children again. Emma would not have cared if he arrived sleeping in the back of the carriage, but Abel would have been concerned. As the carriage entered the yard, Katherine stood with Emma in her arms. Mo was there too with Dottie, and Abel stood between them. His mother had told him that his father had been sick, and he wondered what that meant. When Adam climbed down from the carriage, Abel was overjoyed and ran to hug him. Adam attempted to lift his son, but as he did so, he knew he might fall if he tried. Instead he took Abel's hand and walked to a chair on the porch. Sitting in it, he pulled Abel onto his lap.

"Now, young man, would you like a big hug?"

After hugging his father for a minute, Abel sat back and looked into Adam's face. "Mama said you were sick. Are you better now?"

"I'm better now, but I'm still kind of tired. I may have to sleep a bit more than usual, but I'll get stronger faster now that I'm home and I get hugs from my favorite son."

"But Papa, I'm your only son."

"Yes, you are. And I love you very much."

"Do you love Mama too?"

"Yes, very much."

"And Emma?"

"Yes, very much."

"Good." Looking over at Molly, Abel wondered who she was. "Papa, who is that lady with Grandpa and Grandma?"

"She's going to be a nanny for all the children."

"Nanny? Is that like an aunty?"

"In some ways, perhaps she will be. She will play with you, help you, watch over you, talk with you, and sometimes read you stories and tuck you into bed when we're not here."

"I don't like it when you're not here. Can you just stay here all the time, please?"

"I will stay here a lot more than I did before. I promise you that. But there will still be some times when I have to take a short trip. Mama says that she has an idea about how I can have every night with my family. I'm looking forward to how she plans to manage that."

"Mama is smart."

"Yes, she is. Now, I would like to hold Emma next if you don't mind."

"I give you hug first."

And Abel laid his head on his father's shoulder and hugged him around the neck as hard as he could before Lea and Katherine walked over. Katherine handed Emma to Adam. She immediately did what she usually did when Adam would hold her. She laid her head on his shoulder and grabbed hold of his shirt. She snuggled in there for several minutes not saying anything as her father talked softly to her telling her how she was his beautiful daughter and how lucky he was to have her in his life. Then he asked her if she liked Molly. Emma shook her head.

"She's a nice lady. I bet she might even know how to play with dolls."

Emma sat up with that statement and took a closer look at Molly and then back at her father to see if he was teasing her. Lea then offered a suggestion.

"Put her down and let her walk over to Molly."

"When did she learn how to walk? When I left, she fell every time she tried to stand next to anything unless we were hanging onto her hands."

"Apparently she had a problem because of her ear infection. It's probably what was making her so fussy for such a long time. Ever since Hop Sing's remedies cleared that up, she's been standing and walking along the furniture. It took only a few days for her to take her first steps. Now she wants to walk all the time although she is a bit unsteady outside yet."

Setting Emma on her feet and pointing at Molly who waited with a big smile, Adam waited to see his daughter walk. He had missed one of the high points of her young life and hoped he would never miss another. Emma toddled over to Molly as Adam told Molly that Emma liked dolls very much.

"Pleased to meet you, Emma. Your papa said you like dolls. I love dolls. I hope you'll show me your dolls sometime, and we can play."

Emma took Molly's hand and tugged in the direction of her house. Adam grinned and Lea chuckled. "Molly, our daughter is very much her father's daughter. She's just as direct and efficient as he is. If you don't mind, we can walk to our house to show you where it is, and give you a tour. Then you can come back here to settle in."

"Lea, I would like that very much."

Soon Molly let Emma begin to lead her away. In Adam's house, Emma and Abel, who were proud to show off their rooms and the washroom upstairs, gave Molly a tour of the house with Adam and Lea following behind. Soon Emma was carrying one of her dolls and had handed one to Molly as well. The two were quickly becoming friends. As Adam got to the bottom of the stairs, he sank down to sit on the second step from the bottom. Molly took one look at him and pointed up the stairs.

"Time for you to rest."

"That's all I did on the way home."

"Yes, and you didn't sleep well with the train rocking all the way. Now up to your bed and get a good nap. I'll look after the children. I saw a delightful table on the way here. We'll go out there to get to know one another, and you can have a nice quiet nap. Lea can come get Emma when it's time for her nap."

The paths to Joe's house and to Adam's house converged in the garden behind the main house. Adam and Hoss had built a rustic table there with benches. There were also two rustic chairs to sit in as well. Molly led the children there. She kept Emma close by her side and sent Abel to pick up some pinecones. As Emma held her doll and sat on Molly's lap, Molly showed Abel how to find the seeds in the pinecones. When he tired of that, she showed him how to hold a blade of grass stretched between his thumbs to make noise when he blew loudly on it. He couldn't do it at first, and Molly was impressed with his determination to succeed. She could certainly see the father in the son. After about an hour, Lea brought them a snack, and they had a picnic in the garden. Alice came to join them and brought Joey and Gabi, and Lea introduced Molly to them. Alice was very happy to find she would have help when she needed it. Abel was anxious to show Joey all that he had learned, but Lea made him eat his lunch first. Then the boys got busy. Molly was able to tell a bit of her story to the ladies as Emma continued to sit on her lap and snuggled into her shoulder.

"This one definitely likes to snuggle, I take it. I saw her snuggle up with her father and now she doesn't want to get off my lap."

"She snuggles the most with Adam. She certainly likes you a lot. She does like to be with people, but I've never seen her take to anyone as quickly as she did to you. Usually she will sit on a lap, but snuggling is just with a chosen few."

"When she falls asleep, would you mind if I took her to her room? If she lets me do that, she'll let me take care of her anytime you need any help."

"Certainly. She's already late for her nap so it probably won't take long. You know where the room is. I usually slip off her dress because she's a restless sleeper and it gets all tangled up in the bed. She likes the covers pulled up but hates her arms to be covered."

"Just like her father then."

Taken aback for a moment, Lea realized that Molly would know that after taking care of Adam when he was ill. "Yes, both of my children are like their father on that one."

Mo brought Dottie out then to meet Molly and play with the others although it was only a few minutes before Molly took Emma in for her nap. Gabi was getting tired too, so when Molly got back, she went with Alice to see her house and to see where the children slept. When Molly returned, she went with Mo to see where Dottie slept. Once all the girls were in for their naps, Molly told the ladies they could go do anything they wished because she would stay and get to know the boys a bit better. From the ranch house, Katherine and Ben had been taking frequent looks into the garden to see all of the activity.

"She's very good with children. I wondered when you first told me that Adam and Hoss brought home a nanny, but now I can see the benefits. The ladies can go to their houses to get some things done, and the boys are still chaperoned."

"Yes, I was surprised at first too when I heard that Molly was to be a nanny here, but the more I think about it, the more I like the idea. So often the ladies are tied to the house with the girls. They don't get to see their husbands except in the morning and the evening, and the boys are often indoors as well. This opens up all sorts of possibilities."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"How did you work that out?"

"Well I helped Katherine one day with the ledgers. We had to add in receipts and such. I helped organize, and Katherine wrote in all the figures. She said she and Ben do the math together to make sure there are no mistakes. That way, your father doesn't need to bother you with the books."

"How does that explain how you determined how many architectural projects I can do?"

"Well, you see, you base a lot of stuff on math. I asked your father how much time you need to supervise the mines and supervise the timber and lumber operations. He had a pretty good idea of how much time it takes to do that. Then I remembered you telling a client that it took about forty hours for you to complete his set of plans. You also have the horse importing business that doesn't take much time, but you have chores to do. And you want to start breeding the Friesian horses so I asked Joe how much time that would take especially when the foals start arriving. He gave me an estimate based on the number of horses you have now. There are meetings with the banks and the lawyers over contracts too. I worked out six days a week for working leaving Sundays open. So now I have this chart that says the maximum number of architectural jobs you can do is one per month. Now, you already have the job of finishing the design for Hoss' house, and three designs to do for the Milton family. By the way, his sons said they won't be needing those plans until spring. Just taking over their father's business will keep the two of them busy until then. There are a few extra days each month for unforeseen problems."

Looking over Lea's chart of his hours in a month, Adam realized just how unrealistic he had been in trying to help Hoss and Joe as well as take on extra work from his father. There wasn't enough time in a month to accomplish what he had tried to do. Seeing it charted out like this made it quite clear that he had agreed to do more than he possibly could. "There's only one thing I would like to change."

"What's that? I thought I took everything into consideration. If you do this, you have every evening and every Sunday with us except when you go up to the timber camps and the lumber mill."

"Yes, but I want to work with Hoss sometimes too. I miss that, and apparently so does Hoss. I'll be working with Joe because he and I already work on the horse importing operation, and I'm sure that Joe will help out with the Friesians. But I want to work with Hoss too."

"If you want to work with Hoss, then you will have to take one architectural job every two months. That frees up five days per month to work with your brother. If your father fills in for you on some things, you could work with him more. Ben said he missed going up to the timber camps and lumber mills, but he has no interest in overlooking the mining operations."

"You're very smart. I'm so lucky to have married you. You knew that this was the way to explain this to me. You could have argued these points indefinitely and I would have tried to counter your arguments with some of my own. In fact, I think we did do that for a time before I left. But this is perfect."

Pulling Lea to his side, Adam continued to look at the chart. He was thinking about how to organize his workload based on the hours Lea had charted.

"Oh, no, you don't. Molly said the doctor ordered that you not get back to work for another week. Just traveling on the train made you so tired that you needed to nap this afternoon. I can't chart that out, but you need more time in bed than on horseback for the next week."

"There is an incentive that could keep me in that bed as much as you want."

"I'll think about it. It's a lot of work." Lea punched him in the arm because he grinned. "Dinner at the main house tonight as soon as Emma wakes up. I wonder if Molly is ready to see the whole clan together?"

"Where is Molly, and where is Abel?"

"They've been together all afternoon. Molly said she played with her brothers a lot as a child. She's been teaching all sorts of things to the boys." Lea saw the look of disappointment that briefly showed on Adam's face. "Don't worry. Abel is such a curious boy, he needs lots of people teaching him things. You're still the one he wants to learn from the most though. That will never change."

As Adam and Lea entered the main house for dinner, Joe came up to Adam and grabbed him in a hug. "You may not enjoy that so much, but I had to let you know I'm real glad you're back safe and sound. The fact that you brought a nanny with you makes it even better. By the way, can you help me with a string of horses I have to get ready for a contract?" Joe's big grin belied the request. Adam shook his head. "Just testing you. I know now I was asking too much, but you know how I am. If I'm working, I don't notice what anyone else is doing. So you need to get better at saying no if I ask for help and you're too busy."

"And you won't complain?"

"Of course I'll complain, but when did you start listening to me complain? Seems you were always able to ignore it before."

"And so I will again."

"Good. It's really good to have you home safe and sound, much older brother." Joe couldn't help the grin. He had worried when they thought that Adam might have succumbed to the flu that he might never see him again. He was greatly relieved to have him back in the family, and by his teasing, Adam would know how much Joe cared. The two brothers often had trouble saying that each cared for the other. This playful teasing substituted for the words they found so difficult to say.

"All right, that's over with, now, dadburnit, I'm hungry. Let's sit down to dinner."

Hoss moved to the dining table hoping everyone was following him. There was just room enough for everyone if each of the girls sat on a parent's lap. The two boys sat at the corners between their parents. Conversation over dinner was about everything but what had happened with Adam. He didn't want to talk about it any more, and the others deferred to his desire. He did get a very pleasant surprise for dessert. Hop Sing had made his favorite pie, and then Molly announced that Emma wanted to stay over at the main house for the night. She and Molly were going to make dolls out of old socks, scraps of cloth, buttons, and ribbon. Of course Molly would be doing all the work, but Emma was fascinated by dolls and wanted to be there. Then Joe winked at Alice and said that he thought it would be a good night for Abel to stay over with Joey. It wasn't much of a surprise to anyone when they finished dessert, and Adam told Lea he was tired, and they ought to head back to their house. Soon after, Joe and Alice left with Gabi and the boys. Mo and Dottie sat down with Emma and Molly as Molly began crafting a doll. Mo caught on quickly to what she was doing and started working on one too following the pattern Molly had set. Within fifteen minutes, Katherine was also in the mix crafting a doll. The two girls were delighted to have a new doll to take to bed that night, and there was an extra to present to Gabi the next day.

Lea and Adam were working on their own special project during the same time period. "Sweetheart, do you want to take a bath with me?"

"That would be lovely. I thought you might like a bath so we just have to stoke up the fire in the stove to heat the water more. It should already be warm."

"A glass of wine perhaps?'

"Even better."

As Adam stoked up the fire in the stove, Lea got a bottle of wine and two glasses. She carried them into the washroom as Adam began unbuttoning his shirt.

"Here, let me help you with that." Lea stepped up and unbuttoned his shirt and ran her hands over his chest. Then she undid his belt buckle and unbuttoned his trousers letting them drop to the floor. "You're supposed to be recuperating and not doing any work. Just sit in the tub, and I'll get the water flowing as soon as it's hot enough." As Adam moved to the tub, Lea removed her dress and undergarments. Adam leaned back in the tub and watched her. She checked the temperature of the water and opened the spigot on the tank to let it start flowing into the tub. When there was enough water in the tub, she shut off the spigot and stepped into the tub facing Adam. She sat down with her legs overlapping his. Then they found all sorts of ways to use suds on each other until both were very clean and very tired. They wrapped towels around each other after they stepped from the tub, and opened the drain on the tub to let the water drain. Both slept very well that night wrapped in each other's arms.

In the morning as the sun peaked over the hills, Adam woke Lea with kisses so they could make love again. The next time he woke, Lea was gone but he smelled bacon and correctly surmised that she was preparing breakfast. He pulled on a robe and went down the stairs to the kitchen. Standing in the doorway, he watched as Lea cooked at the stove. She was more lovely to him now than when they had married. When she turned and saw him, she smiled and he decided that was the best thing to see first thing in the morning. Walking into the kitchen, he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and kissed her neck.

"You're beautiful."

"I've had two children, and my figure shows it."

"Sweetheart, last night and this morning should tell you that I find you more beautiful and desirable than ever. You are a stunning woman, and I love to see you smile."

"Really?"

"You know I don't lie."

Lea turned in his embrace to face him. "I find you more and more handsome every year. You look at me, and I want you to take me to the bedroom."

"I could do that, but I'm starving. Can we have breakfast first?" Lea laughed and kissed him. "On second thought, we could take the food with us."

"A lovely thought, but we need to go see how our children are doing. It's almost nine."

By the time that Adam and Lea got to the main house, Doctor Martin was arriving. They were concerned at first, but Paul was just being a good friend to the family. "I heard that Adam was back and I wanted to see how he was doing. I also want to take a look at Emma. I heard that Hop Sing's treatment was very successful, and I want to know exactly what he did. And I need to see Mo so this will save her and Hoss a trip to town. Roy also told me that you hired a nurse to be a nanny."

"Roy knows everything, doesn't he? Yes, we hired Molly Tremper. She has some background in nursing but has cared for children, been a cook and a seamstress, and done all sorts of other work. Come inside. I'm sure she's with the family."

Molly was introduced to Paul and explained to him everything she had done to care for Adam and the specific instructions the doctor had given Adam before he had been allowed to travel. Paul agreed with everything he heard. In talking with Molly, he found that she had been a midwife many times so he asked her to be in the room as he did an examination of Mo. He found everything looking normal with her, and then he and Molly went to talk with Hop Sing about the treatment for ear infection that he had used successfully with Emma. After a cup of coffee and some doughnuts, Paul had to go. As he drove away, Molly asked if she could have Saturday evening off. Adam asked why as Lea and Mo grinned.

"Paul asked if I would have dinner with him on Saturday night. I said yes, but now I think I should have asked if I could have that night off."

"Of course you can have the night off. If you want, you can stay in town so that Paul doesn't have to give you a ride home that late. You can stay at the Landmark Hotel in the room we have reserved, and you and Paul can meet us at church services if you wish, or he can give you a ride home later."

"Oh, I wouldn't want you to have to pay for me to have a room in town."

"Molly, we found we needed a room so often because of business meetings and other things that we reserved one that is always ready for any one of us or any guest we have. You just need to tell them that you are taking the Cartwright room, and they will give you the key."

"Isn't that expensive?"

Hoss grinned. "Not since Adam suggested we buy an interest in the hotel. We get an owner's discount. It adds up to nothing. Sure comes in handy sometimes and not just for business meetings. Mo and I have used that room after dinner in town, and Lea and Adam have used it after seeing something at Piper's."

Soon, the ladies were discussing what Molly should wear. Adam and Hoss walked over to Ben's desk. Adam leaned against the wall as Hoss sat on a corner of the desk. Both waited for Ben's reaction. He looked at his sons and grinned. Things were working out well for everyone.


End file.
